Senior Couple journal — New Zealand Hamilton Mission
July 5, 2015 to July 11, 2015
Dear friends and family,
We enjoyed a wonderful week in Hamilton this past week. We were able to attend the temple every day and we witnessed some wonderful events therein. We returned with our spiritual batteries recharged. President and Sister Rudd were gracious and accommodating hosts.
1/ Scripture joke for the week: Native American traditions warn us about people who “speak with a forked tongue”. Is there a New Testament equivalent to “forked tongues”? See below.
2/ Church history quiz for the week: Consider an alphabetical listing of all of the brethren who have been called to the apostleship in this dispensation. In this alphabetical list, there are three groupings of church presidents. Obviously, Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith, and Joseph Fielding Smith would be listed sequentially on this list. Can you name the four church presidents in the other two groupings?
3/ Update for the week: I have another humbling experience to relate. A few weeks ago I had the privilege of conducting a baptismal interview for a sweet 9-year old girl for her baptism. She was actually a convert baptism in our little branch of Stratford. This young saint has fallen in love with the church, the missionaries, and the teachings of the Church, all due to the influence of friends and church members. Her mother was supportive of her decision but not interested herself. The interview was a choice experience. Her newly-found testimony is firm, and she loves every aspect of the gospel which she has encountered. She passed the interview without a hitch. This little girl, her mother, the missionaries, and myself were enjoying a pleasant conversation after the interview, when the little girl said, “Elder Taylor, I have one more thing I would like to say.” I invited her to proceed, and she said, “You have clown feet and clown shoes!” This comment was so totally unexpected that it took me a moment to respond. I said, “Perhaps I do, but I am very stable and sturdy in a windstorm with these large feet underneath me.” My answer had no noticeable affect on her as she continued to stare at my feet.
This is the second time during our mission that I have been told that I resemble a clown from the ankles down. The first comment came from an 87-year old, and then this one from a 9 year-old. Is there an easy remedy for someone that is developing a “clown complex”?
I had some fun with our district president in April, the month of his birthday. President Gaastra is a very meek, quiet, and reserved man. He loathes the ‘spotlight’ and detests having people make a fuss over him. As his birthday approached, I began to alert the district members and requested presents and cards and phone calls for him. He scolded me and said that he wanted no fanfare or hoopla associated with his birthday. The next district email I sent out contained this message: “Brothers and Sisters of the Taranaki District, I (Elder Taylor) need to repent. Last week I mentioned that President Gaastra’s birthday is coming up on Thursday, April 30. He was not pleased that I did that. Being such a humble and unassuming man, he was not happy that I mentioned the possibility of gifts and cards and remembrances to mark this special day in his life. In an effort to undo the wrong that I committed, I now ask all of you to forget the fact that President Gaastra’s birthday is coming up on April 30. I would ask you to suspend and cancel any and all plans you had for festivities, galas, or celebrations to mark this special day in President Gaastra’s life. Please pretend that I did not mention that President Gaastra’s birthday is on April 30th. If you have circled April 30 on your calendar, please un-circle it; if you have highlighted April 30th, please un-highlight it. Sincerely, Elder Taylor :o) “
One of the branch presidents in the district, President Jon Coles, responded with the following email: “Elder Taylor, we have read your announcement about President Gaastra’s upcoming birthday on April 30. We have cancelled the elephant parade we had scheduled and we are returning the dancing bears that we had booked. There may, however, be some other small items that will be difficult to return given such short notice. 😉 President Coles.”
I found all of the above to be quite entertaining, but President Gaastra was not amused at all.
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4/ Answer to the scripture joke: Forked tongues in the New Testament? 1 Timothy 3:8 states that deacons must be grave, but not “doubletongued”.
5/ Answer to the Church history quiz: Spencer W. Kimball and Harold B. Lee are listed sequentially in this alphabetical list, as are Wilford Woodruff and Brigham Young. Interestingly, there is one other Kimball, one other Woodruff, and three other Youngs on the list, but they do not fit in between the prophets alphabetically. Also of interest is the fact that Gordon B. Hinckley and Howard W. Hunter are only separated by one other apostle, that being Jeffrey R. Holland.
With love,
Elder and Sister Taylor
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